Man United beat Spurs 2-0 at Old Trafford, in what was a very impressive performance from the Red Devils on Wednesday night. But it was Cristiano Ronaldo who grabbed all the headlines as the five-time Ballon d’Or winner stormed off the pitch before the final whistle had even sounded.
United put in a dominant display, firing off a mammoth 28 shots to Spurs’ 9. The scoreline flatters the North Londoners, as captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris pulled off some spectacular saves in the first half, to keep the game level going into the break.
Fred opened the scoring after his strike was deflected in, and left the World Cup winning goalkeeper stranded. However, the luck was warranted after consistent pressure from United.
The home side doubled their advantage midway through the second half through a strike from Bruno Fernandes. The ball fell to him on the edge of the box and the Portuguese international made no mistake calmly slotting the ball into the Spurs’ net.
Antonio Conte’s side didn’t pose that much of a threat going forward, only registering 2 shots on target the entire game. The striking duo of Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son were largely ineffective during the clash.
However, it was the actions of Cristiano Ronaldo that stole all the headlines after the game, rather unfairly since United put in such a dominant, convincing performance to claim all 3 points.
The former Real Madrid superstar was seen exiting the pitch in the 86th minute after Erik Ten Hag brought on Christian Eriksen and Anthony Elanga, which signified that Ronaldo wouldn’t get any game time and would be an unused substitute.
The Athletic reports that not only did Ronaldo march down the tunnel before the final whistle, but he also left the ground before his teammates got back to the dressing room after the game.
When questioned about Ronaldo’s exit prior to the conclusion of the fixture, United boss Erik Ten Hag said that he’d “deal with it tomorrow”, amid not wanting to take any attention away from his side’s performance.
“I have seen him (leaving), I didn’t speak to him after. I will deal with that tomorrow,” said the Man United manager to Amazon after the game.
“I want to get focus on this team, it was a magnificent performance from all 11 players. I have to correct myself, it was a performance (also from) the subs who came on. A squad performance.”
Recent reports suggest United are open to letting the Portuguese superstar go in January, should they receive a suitable offer. However, given the clear dynamic between Ronaldo and Ten Hag, United may opt to be less stringent on their valuation of the player, and take a cut-price deal to get him off the books.
The victory means United remain in 5th spot in the Premier League standings, ahead of their trip to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea on the weekend, who occupy the last of the UEFA Champions League qualification spots.